Blank Slate
by Lady Azura
Summary: A head injury causes K.C to become convinced that he and Clare are still together.
1. Part I

Summary: _A head injury causes K.C to become convinced that he and Clare are still together. _

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: The LONG overdo story request that I promised _**necklace**_ months ago. I know it's late, but I hope you enjoy. It's going to either be a twoshot or a threeshot.

X

**Blank Slate****  
**_**Part I**_

X

"K.C! Get your head out of the clouds!"

The sound of Armstrong's voice jerked the teenager in question out of his stupor. He shot an apologetic glance in his coach's general direction. "Sorry! It won't happen again — promise!"

Armstrong just rolled his eyes. He'd heard _that_ one before, but it wasn't as if K.C was doing it on _purpose_. He had a lot on his mind! Surely the coach had to understand, considering…

His thoughts drifted back to his girlfriend. He'd been thinking about Jenna all day — for the past couple of days, in fact. She'd finally had the baby a week ago, after her water broke in the middle of class and she had been rushed to the hospital to deliver their child. It had been hectic and complicated, and she'd spent a good eight or nine hours in labour before finally giving birth to a baby girl.

_Their_ baby girl — Hailey Middleton.

K.C wasn't going to lie. There was a part of him that was bitter that his daughter, his own flesh and blood, didn't get _his_ last name. But he understood why. He hadn't exactly been _supportive_ at first, and he certainly couldn't promise that he wasn't going to royally screw up. He hadn't _planned_ to be a dad at fifteen — it just _happened_ that way, and now he was whether he liked it or not, just like Jenna was now a mom.

Only while _he_ was at school playing football and still acting like a teenager, _Jenna_ was at home, _being_ a mother. His own mom was checking up on her and the baby between her shifts in order to let Jenna get _some_ sleep, but _he_ had only seen the baby once so far, right after she was born. He hadn't stayed long; it'd been too overwhelming. He didn't even hold her, because he knew that if he had, it would've become _that_ much more real — that he was a father. K.C wasn't sure if he could handle that — not yet.

_"YO! HEAD'S UP!"_

Maybe not ever…

_"K.C, WATCH OUT!"_

Before K.C could react, his entire world went black.

.

.

.

When K.C regained consciousness, all he saw were blurs. Everything was spinning uncontrollably, and if he didn't know any better, he could have _sworn_ that there were tiny, chirping birds circling his head. But of course, _that_ was just absurd, and so he squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten before reopening them once more, and waiting for his surroundings to come into focus.

It didn't take long for the blurs to shape into people. Three, to be exact — Coach Armstrong, the school nurse, and a spiky-haired boy wearing a Degrassi football jersey, sans the shoulder pads, who he didn't recognize.

K.C tried to sit up, only to groan in discomfort when his head began to throb painfully, and fall back down.

"Where am I?" He managed through gritted teeth.

"Nurse's office." The spiky-haired teenager replied. "You've been out for like fifteen minutes, man! The whole team thought you were dead at first — it was insane!" He let out a nervous laugh, and K.C furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Do I _know_ you?" He asked.

The boy stopped laughing immediately and gave him an incredulous look, but the corner of his mouth remained quirked upward.

"You're kidding, right?" When K.C didn't say anything, the rest of his smile fell. "C'mon, man… quit jerking me around. It's _me_, Drew. Drew Torres? Ring any bells?"

The name didn't register in K.C's mind at all. The boy standing next to him was a complete stranger.

"That ball must've hit you harder than we thought," said Armstrong with a frown. "Maybe we should take him to the hospital. He might have a concussion or -"

K.C's eyes widened and he shot up, waving his hands frantically. "I'm fine!" He protested, quickly turning to 'Drew' and smirking. "Dude, I was just messing with you. But you should've seen the look on your face — _priceless_!"

Drew rolled his eyes, seemingly torn between being amused and pissed off. "Whatever. I knew you were lying."

"K.C… are you _sure_ you're alright?" K.C glanced over at Armstrong, who clearly wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, totally!" K.C lied, nodding vigorously. "I mean, apart from the headache, I've never felt better!"

Armstrong still didn't seem to be buying into his fib, but he wasn't calling his bluff either. The older man crossed his arms and gave K.C a hard look. "If you're _sure_…"

"Positive, Coach."

Armstrong sighed in defeat.

"Okay. But I'm going to dismiss you from today's practice, just to be safe. If you want to go home, you can do that too."

K.C grinned. "I'm fine, Coach. _Really_. There's nothing to worry about."

.

.

.

He could feel a bruise coming on. Luckily, his hair would cover it, but that still didn't change the fact that it _hurt_.

_'Nothing a kiss from my girlfriend can't fix.'_ He mused as he wandered aimlessly in search for her.

The lunch bell went off, flooding the halls with students, and he knew one of them was bound to be his girlfriend. They always ate lunch together.

But she was nowhere in sight.

He scanned the ocean of students, trying to find her, but luck just wasn't on his side. He quickly grew irritated and was about to simply give up and head straight to the cafeteria when he heard her laugh. His prayers had been answered, it seemed, and relief washed over him as K.C whirled around and zeroed in on the source.

There, standing just a few feet away from him, was Clare.

Only… not the Clare that _he_ knew.

In fact, it took him a minute of simply _gaping_ at her to realize that it was actually his girlfriend. It was as if she had transformed into a whole new person over night. Her hair was shorter, leaving tousled curls to frame her face which seemed to practically glow. He also couldn't help but notice her figure, which she'd been apparently hiding until now, and despite his better judgment, he found himself unable to stop himself from sparing a brief glance at her chest. Neither of those things mattered, however, when he looked back up at her face, only to have his breath taken away.

He'd never realized just how big and blue her eyes were without her glasses, and made a quick mental note to tell her that the next time they were alone.

K.C didn't know how long he stood there, _waiting_ for Clare to acknowledge his presence at the very least. Usually she'd stop what she was doing and run over to him, fling her arms around his neck and ask him about his day so far — but it was like she didn't even see him. Was she mad? Had he done something to upset her?

He continued to watch her talk to her companion like _he_ didn't exist, all the while growing more and more agitated.

Fed up, K.C was about to stalk over and voice his concern when the boy suddenly said something to Clare that made her blush and avert her gaze.

What the _hell_ was going on?

Was Clare actually _flirting_ with another guy?

No! K.C shook his head angrily. There had to be some kind of mistake. Clare wasn't that type of girl. She would _never_ do that. Infidelity went against her moral code — everything she believed in! Clare wouldn't…

Clare was grabbing the boy by the back of the neck. Clare was pulling him closer to her. Clare was _kissing_ him deeply, without a care in the world.

That's all it took for K.C to snap.

He stormed over to the pair just as the boy's hand disappeared under Clare's skirt, eliciting a muffled moan from his girlfriend. Beyond furious, he grabbed the dark-haired boy's shoulder roughly, tearing him away from Clare.

"What the -!"

K.C didn't give him a chance to finish. He slammed the boy against a nearby locker.

"What are you doing!" He heard Clare shriek, but he didn't pay her any attention, too busy trying to make the boy he had pinned spontaneously combust with the intensity of his glare.

"Where do you think you get off, kissing _my_ girlfriend?"

The scrawny punk let out an obnoxious laugh.

"_Your_ girlfriend?" He retorted with a sneer. "Clearly you're delusional. Last I checked, _I_ was her boyfriend."

"You're the one who's delusional!" K.C snarled, raising a fist.

He was fully prepared to punch the boy — preferably in the jaw, to shut him up and wipe the annoying smirk off his overly smug face.

He heard Clare scream, and before his fist could make contact, K.C was suddenly being dragged away from the boy by none other than Mark Fitzgerald.

X

**… and that's the end of chapter one.**

** This is my first time writing K.C (and Drew, for that matter)... I hope they're IC.**

** Okay, so originally this was going to be one really long oneshot, but… I decided to split it into parts. Don't worry, the updates will be **_**very**_** quick. In fact, I'll probably have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow.**

necklace - I hope you like it so far, and I apologize for taking so long to get started on this. Hopefully it's worth the wait.

** Anyway, with that said… please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think so far!**


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Oh, wow. Look at all those wonderful reviews. As promised, here is the next chapter.

X

**Blank Slate****  
**_**Part II**_

X

"Let go!" K.C growled, struggling to get out of Fitz's hold, but his efforts proved to be in vain.

"Listen, I don't know what crawled up your ass and died, but you need to fucking chill!" Fitz snapped, his arm tightening around K.C. Then he barked out a laugh, as if he'd just thought of something funny. "Don't get me wrong, man — I wanna rearrange emo boy's face as much as the next sane guy, but _now_ isn't the time!"

K.C tuned him out, and continued to thrash violently against his captor, trying to escape, but the other teen was stronger.

A crowd was beginning to form, with bystanders looking on in both curiosity and amusement, but K.C didn't care. He was too busy fighting against Fitz, and glaring daggers at the dark-haired boy that Clare was now attending to.

He was starting to think that he'd been somehow sucked into an alternate universe — one where Clare was gorgeous and made out with other guys _in public_. She wasn't being her usual nerdy, somewhat socially awkward self — and _Fitz_ playing peacemaker? Admittedly, he didn't really know Fitz, but he'd seen him hanging out with Johnny DiMarco and Bruce the Moose. He also knew that he had a record, and was a detention regular — the kind of person _he_ used to be, prior to coming to Degrassi. Fitz was bad news, no doubt about it, so _why_…?

So distracted by his own thoughts, K.C didn't notice that Clare was standing in front of him until he heard her clear her throat. When he glanced up, he was taken aback by the cold look she was giving him.

"What is your _problem_?" She hissed, planting her hands firmly on her hips and narrowing her eyes dangerously.

K.C felt a chill crawl down his spine, but his anger outweighed his nerves.

"My problem?" He repeated incredulously. "I don't know, Clare! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I just saw my girlfriend kissing another guy!"

Clare's expression quickly melted into one of shock, and at first K.C thought it was because she realized she'd been caught in the act, but then she spoke.

"What are you _talking_ about?" She asked. "I'm not your girlfriend!"

K.C froze, staring at her in disbelief.

_What?_

Was that her way of breaking up with him? Kissing some other guy and then drop him just like that? He never imagined that she could be so callous. Where was the Clare he'd grown to care for?

"K.C…" Clare's voice drew his attention back to her, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her face. "What's going on? Why would you think that?"

"Because!" He cried desperately. "You are!"

oOo

Confusion gripped Clare like a vice as her mind reeled with thousands of unanswered questions. She stared at K.C in surprise, her mouth moving but no words coming out. K.C's sudden declaration had rendered her completely speechless — and not just her, but Eli and Fitz as well. The crowd that had gathered whispered excitedly amongst themselves as they watched, and Clare had a daunting feeling that the Anti-Grapevine would hear about it soon, putting her reputation on the line for the second time that year.

But none of that seemed to matter when she met K.C's eyes and saw the look of utter betrayal in them. It practically broke her heart, but Clare knew then that something was terribly wrong with him.

After all, she hadn't even crossed paths with him — much less _talked_ to him — since their fallout at the Dot. So why did he think she was his girlfriend? It didn't make any sense.

Before she could contemplate further, K.C managed to break out of Fitz's hold, which seemed to startle Fitz himself, and lunged at Eli again —

— only to be stopped just in time by Drew Torres, Adam's brother.

Clare didn't see him arrive, nor did she know how he tackled K.C so quickly, but that was the least of her worries.

When she heard Coach Armstrong's booming voice seconds later, she knew there was going to be trouble.

**"What the **_**hell**_** is going on?"**

oOo

Needless to say, Archie Simpson was _not_ happy when his lunch break was interrupted, and six familiar faces were ushered into his office to receive punishment for an altercation that had happened out in the hallway.

He closed his eyes, exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to bang his head against the desk repeatedly.

_Why? Why? Why?_

It simply wasn't fair.

He'd known accepting his new position that it wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't prepared himself for just how hard it was.

In the first couple of months since he'd become principal, test scores had plummeted; bullying, vandalism and assault had reached an all time high; and a _knife_ had been brought to a school function.

Just his luck.

He had no idea how Daphne had done it.

He'd been way in over his head, thinking he could handle the pressure, and now he found himself staring at a handful of the same group of students he'd grown steadily accustomed to seeing for one reason or another.

"What did you do this time?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Almost immediately, six voices started talking at once.

"_He_ came out of nowhere and attacked me!"

"_He_ was making a move on my girlfriend!"

"I told you, I'm not your girlfriend!"

"Hey, _I_ was trying to help. For once, I'm innocent in all this!"

"You're still an asshole, Fitz."

"Fuck you, Torres!"

"Andrew, calm down! Mom's gonna kill you when she finds out about this…"

Archie groaned loudly, rubbing his temples to ease his growing migraine.

_Why? Just… WHY?_

"OKAY!" He cried, clasping his hands together and plastering a tight smile on his face. "One at a time, will someone _please_ tell me what happened?"

The room went silent, and no one spoke up, instead choosing to glance around awkwardly.

Archie sighed, deciding to pick someone at random.

"Clare, why don't _you_ start?"

The girl in question bit her lip nervously.

"Umm… me, Sir?"

Archie nodded slowly. "_Yes_, you."

"Well…"

oOo

"… and that's what happened."

Clare took a deep breath as soon as she finished, and waited anxiously for Mr. Simpson's response. She hoped he'd believe her. She knew he had no reason to, after the incident at Vegas Night, but that had been _months_ ago and she'd learned her lesson. Really, she had — and besides, it wasn't as if she had _meant_ to lie. In fact, _she_ had simply gone along with _Eli's_ tall tale, so really, technically it wasn't _her_ who had lied. She had merely… not told him the truth.

… which was still just as bad, she realized quickly.

She began to fidget uncontrollably, twiddling her fingers and biting the inside of her cheek in a lousy attempt to calm her nerves. Eli must have sensed her internal distress, because he inched closer and slid an arm around her waist. Behind her, she heard Fitz snort, and on her left she could practically feel K.C's eyes burning a hole through her.

At last, Mr. Simpson said something.

"I need some fresh air. Stay where you are until I get back. You're not off the hook yet."

With that, he got up and walked out of the office, leaving the six teenagers alone.

As soon as Mr. Simpson was out of earshot, all hell broke loose.

"Get your arm off my girlfriend!" K.C snapped, glaring venomously at Eli.

"I told you, K.C — I'm _not_ your girlfriend!" Clare cried.

"What the hell, man?" Drew shot a strange look at his friend. "Weren't you _just_ hung up on Jenna like… an hour ago?"

"Jenna?" K.C repeated. "Who's Jenna?"

All heads turned to K.C in confusion.

"Uh… your baby mama?" Fitz interjected, as if it were the most obvious answer.

K.C gave him a blank look.

"K.C?" Clare stepped closer to her ex-boyfriend and examined him closely. "What's going on?"

oOo

K.C furrowed his brow, his lips parting to say something, then closed. He glanced at his hands, then at Clare, then at the people in the room — half of whom he had never seen before in his life — and then back at Clare.

"I… don't know."

X

**Eh, not gonna lie. Didn't like this chapter at all, but I had to get it out of the way to make room for the next one.**

** So… yeah. This **_**might**_** end up being four chapters. Actually, probably just three and an epilogue, but we'll see.**

** I'm sort of writing this as I go. Like, I have a general outline written down, so I know how this is going to end and whatnot, but other than that… I'm pretty much winging it.**

** I hope it's not bad.**

** Anyway, please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think!**


	3. Part III

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Yesterday was hectic. I had back-to-back classes all day, and basically no time to work on this. So my apologies for the delay.

Also, I don't think Degrassi has an infirmary or a school nurse in canon, but for the sake of the story, it does — and her name is Catherine.

X

**Blank Slate****  
**_**Part III**_

X

When Archie returned to his office, the last thing he expected to stumble across was one of his students experiencing some kind of panic attack. Although, in retrospect, he _probably_ should have anticipated such an incident, given the group present — and made a mental note to stop leaving them unsupervised. He opened the door to find K.C clutching his head and yelling various incoherencies while Clare and Drew attempted to calm him down — with little success. The remaining three stood back and watched with a mixture of pity and uncertainty, though Eli looked like he was going to step in any second.

"Mister Simpson!" Clare cried when she noticed him. "I don't… we were just talking and… he said didn't remember anything and started freaking out and… I don't know what to do! _Please_! Do something!"

There were tears in her eyes as she pleaded with him, clearly overwhelmed.

"I keep telling you — it was the ball!" Drew insisted, red in the face from trying to hold K.C down. "He was fine before he got hit!"

Archie took a deep breath, and waited until he'd regained his composure before jumping into action.

"Okay, Clare… take K.C to see the nurse. Drew, you go with her — I'll meet you there in five minutes, and then you can tell me everything that happened. The rest of you are dismissed for now, but do _not_ think that this means you're off the hook."

No one protested as they all piled out into the hall and broke off from each other. Fitz made his way towards the back entrance of the school — probably for a smoke — while Adam and Eli went to the cafeteria, and Drew and Clare took K.C to the nurse's office on the opposite side of the building.

When they were out of sight, Archie let out an exasperated sigh and all but collapsed in his chair.

Weakly, he reached for the phone and dialled Lisa Guthrie's number.

oOo

Clare gnawed anxiously at her bottom lip, sparing yet another glance at the clock.

She had been sitting on a bench outside the nurse's office for almost twenty minutes. Lunch had long since come to an end, and she knew she should've been in history instead of waiting to hear about K.C's condition — but that was just it. She wanted — or rather, _needed_ — to know what was wrong with him, and if he was going to be okay.

Drew must have had the same idea, since he hadn't moved from his spot next to her since they'd first arrived. Admittedly, Clare didn't like having him as her only means of company — not after what he did to Alli — but he was K.C's friend, and Adam's brother. It wasn't like she could just tell him to leave.

The door opened, instantly snapping Clare out of her reverie just as Mr. Simpson stepped out into the hallway. His brows rose upon seeing her and Drew still sitting there, but he didn't reprimand them.

"Sir?" She said softly. "Is K.C… is he going to be alright? Did you find out what was wrong?"

Mr. Simpson sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yes."

"And?" She pressed, giving him an expectant look.

"He has Amnesia." Mr. Simpson told her, never missing a beat.

"Amnesia?" Clare and Drew echoed in unison.

Mr. Simpson nodded.

"So… he doesn't remember _anything_?" Drew asked, frowning.

"Not exactly," said Mr. Simpson, shaking his head. "He remembers most of his life. Everything, really, up until the middle of his freshman year." He was quick to notice the discouraged expression etched across the older Torres brother's face, and smiled sympathetically.

"Will he get the rest of his memory back?" Clare asked.

"I don't know," Mr. Simpson sighed in defeat. "It's hard to say at this point. Catherine says it could be temporary or permanent. Only time will tell."

"What do we do until then? He doesn't even know who I am." Drew said.

"And he thinks that I'm still his girlfriend." Clare added.

"Humour him?" Mr. Simpson suggested, earning disbelieving looks from both students.

Clare's mouth fell open as she stared at her principal, wondering if he'd finally lost his mind.

"Relax, it was joke." Mr. Simpson said dryly, before becoming serious once more. "But this is out of my hands. My only suggestion would be to try to help him remember."

"What about his mom?" Drew questioned, furrowing his brow.

"She doesn't know the specifics, only that he was injured during practice." Mr. Simpson informed him. "She wasn't able to leave work early, so she'll be here to pick him up later, and I'll have to explain everything to her then."

Clare opened her mouth to add her own input, but before she could, K.C emerged from the nurse's office with the nurse in tow. She rose to her feet just as he came to a halt in front of her and smiled uncertainly.

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly.

"Hey…" she replied. "Umm… we should probably talk."

"Yeah…" He lowered his gaze. "How about after school, at the Dot?"

"… sounds good." She whispered.

He nodded, before brushing past her and making his way down the hall with Mr. Simpson following closely behind.

Clare let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and swallowed hard.

"Well, we should… probably get to class…" Drew said slowly, and without even waiting for her to reply, he left to do just that.

X

**… sorry, more filler. Totally wasn't planned, it just kind of happened, but I ran into a bit of writer's block so… yeah.**

** Next chapter will be up later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Wherein K.C and Clare have a nice long chat.**

** After that, only one more chapter.**

** So this fic in total will be about five chapters. Yeah.**


	4. Part IV

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: VERY quick update. See? I said I'd have it up tonight.

X

**Blank Slate****  
**_**Part IV**_

X

Her hands shook as she waited for K.C to arrive — a mixture of caffeine and nerves.

She'd opted to skip last period, and instead had packed her belongings and gone straight to the Dot. It was a rather uncharacteristic move on her part, she knew, but she needed time to prepare. So for the past hour, she'd been sitting at a table in the far corner of the popular hangout, trying to think of what she was going to say.

How was she going to explain everything? He didn't know Drew, or Jenna, or even his own daughter — he had absolutely no recollection of the life he'd acquired in the last year. All he knew was _her_.

It was almost ironic, really. There had been a time where she would've given just about anything to have him back. K.C had played a huge part in her life. He'd been her first crush, her first boyfriend, her first kiss… and the first guy to break her heart. Those experiences had made her grow as a person, and she had him to thank for it, but now he'd lost his memories and suddenly _she_ was his rock again. While it did leave her with a sense of nostalgia, it didn't change the fact that she no longer felt _that way_ for him.

What she and K.C had had was nothing more than puppy love.

Infatuation.

Nothing more, nothing less.

She still cared about him, of course — and probably always would, to a certain degree, even after the way things ended.

But… Eli was her one and only now.

The door entrance chimed, but Clare, so absorbed in her own thoughts, didn't even notice until a voice spoke.

"You're here." She glanced over just as K.C pulled up a chair across from her, looking mildly surprised before tearing his eyes away. "For some reason, I… didn't think you'd show." He paused for a brief second, and then changed the subject. "Do you want something to drink? Or… maybe something to eat first?"

"K.C… that's really not necessary." She said. She watched his shoulders slump, and quickly elaborated. "It's just… I've already gone through two cups of coffee! One more, and I'll be off the walls all night!"

She laughed, trying to make the atmosphere around them less tense, but it was forced and they both knew it.

At last, K.C met her gaze.

"So… what happened, exactly?" He asked.

"_A lot_." Clare replied. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Us… getting together… and a few other things… but my mind goes blank after Christmas." He admitted.

"Oh…" she peered down at her lap.

"Are you friends with Fitz?" K.C asked suddenly. "I mean… I don't remember you ever even _talking_ to him before… and he drinks and smokes and… doesn't really seem to be the type of guy you'd hang out with."

Clare groaned, rubbing her eyes before planting her chin in the palm of her hand.

"It's a _long_ story." She muttered. "But I'll make it short. Basically, him and Eli antagonized each other for _weeks_ until Fitz got arrested for pulling a knife on him at a dance. Sometime after that he came back to Degrassi and was put on probation. Then one day, he came up to me and said he wanted to change… so I started tutoring him…"

"… and now he's an upstanding citizen?" K.C deadpanned.

"Well… some other stuff happened, and I wouldn't exactly call him an 'upstanding citizen'… but he's gotten better." She explained. Her lips quirked upward then. "Him and Eli still don't like each other, but now they mostly settle their differences over stupid competitions that they come up with."

K.C nodded in understanding, before delving into the question that they'd both been dreading.

"Eli… he's your…" He trailed off, unable to finish.

"Boyfriend." Clare confirmed. She quickly glanced away, suddenly finding the wallpaper very interesting to look at. "I'm sorry… this is awkward. We haven't really talked like this since we broke up. We kind of… went our different ways, after that."

"Why _did_ we, Clare? Weren't we happy?" K.C asked.

"_I_ thought we were." Clare confessed. A bitterness that had once been dormant awoke, lacing through her words. "But then…"

"Then what?" K.C pressed, his knuckles turning white as he waited to hear what had happened. "Did _he_ get in the way?"

"_No_." Clare said coldly, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Your _girlfriend_ did. You told me you tried not to like her, but… you did. I could see why… I mean, she was pretty and perky and talented… and I wasn't any of those things."

"You are pretty, Clare!" K.C insisted, "And talented!"

"But not like Jenna…" She said hoarsely, and swallowed hard to keep her voice even. "It doesn't matter, though. I moved on. In fact, I should probably thank you. If we hadn't broken up, I probably wouldn't have stopped letting people take me for granted… or broken out of my shell… or…" she smiled suddenly as a particular memory crossed her mind. "Or gotten laser eye surgery and met Eli…"

She looked up at him once more. "I was so _mad_ at Jenna for stealing you away. She came to Degrassi in the middle of grade nine, became mine and Alli's friend and then… just _took_ you, right out from under my nose." Her throat was beginning to feel tight, but she went on. "You left me for a preppy cheerleader, and the only thing I could do was wonder why _I_ wasn't good enough, and what _I_ did wrong, and what _I_ could've done to…" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and let out a shuddery breath before giving him a weak smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you like that. I guess I've just been bottling up these feelings and needed to vent."

K.C hadn't made a sound the entire time. He listened intently, hanging on to her every word.

"Clare… I -" He started guiltily, but then stopped, his brows knitting together.

Clare blinked in confusion. "K.C? What is it?"

After a moment or two, his eyes found hers.

"Clare… where's your ring?"

oOo

Before she could even react, he grabbed her now-bare hand and examined it closely. The Clare he knew never left her house without her purity ring which only meant one thing — and when K.C lifted his head and saw the look on her face, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Did we…?" He breathed, his mind still trying to process the very thought of Clare no longer being a virgin.

"No," Clare told him. "I gave myself to Eli."

"But… Clare… what about your faith?" K.C all but cried. "And… and waiting until marriage?"

"A lot of things can change in a year, K.C." Clare said, taking her hand back. She was surprisingly calm. "My sister was raped… my parents got a divorce… my boyfriend almost died on two occasions… it got me thinking. In the end, I decided that I didn't want to be bound to something that I wasn't sure I even still _believed_ in." K.C shot her a disbelieving glance, and she continued. "I still believe in God. But… I love Eli… and I wanted him to show him that."

K.C felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. She must have sensed it as well, because suddenly her fingers were intertwined with his, and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I did love you once." She confessed, "Or as much as a fourteen-year-old is capable of loving. But… I've moved on, and so have you. You love Jenna now… and your daughter."

"Daughter?" K.C croaked.

"Mmhmm." Clare replied, pulling away to rummage through her bag. She pulled out her cell phone and clicked a few times before showing him the screen.

It was a picture of a pretty blonde girl around his age with blue eyes. Her hair was matted to her flushed face, and she was in a hospital gown and looked like hell, but she was still beaming. In her arms, though, she was holding a pink bundle.

A baby.

He felt a rush of dizziness and leaned back. "That's my…?"

Clare nodded, smiling warmly.

"It is. Want to see her?"

It wasn't Clare who'd said it, but K.C would recognize _that_ voice anywhere.

Craning his neck, he was stunned to find his mother standing behind him.

"_Mom_?"

X

**Well, that's the end of this chapter. Didn't turn out as good as I'd planned, but hopefully you guys enjoyed.**

** Only one more chapter to go…**

** Edit: I needed to correct a sentence. I accidentally said, "The Clare he knew never left the house without her purity." I forgot to add 'ring' and so when I was reading it, I had a bit of a giggle fit.**

** Please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think!**


	5. Part V

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, you guys! Here's the final chapter! It's rather short, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.

X

**Blank Slate****  
**_**Part V**_

X

The drive to… wherever the hell they were going… was a tense and quiet one. Neither K.C nor his mother spoke much (except when she'd ask how he was feeling or if he needed to lie down for a while, to which he'd respond with short, curt answers in an obvious attempt to keep their conversations to a bare minimum.) Truthfully, the only reason K.C had even decided to leave with her was because Clare had agreed to come with them.

He'd still been reluctant, of course — not wanting to be anywhere _near_ the woman who had once locked him in a closet while she got high. But both his mother and Mr. Simpson had assured him that she was sober and _had_ been for a very long time. K.C was even more surprised to find out that she'd regained custody of him earlier that year, and that he was actually living with her again.

She _did_ look healthier than he remembered. A bit tired, but not all skin-and-bones and bloodshot eyes like the last time he'd seen her before he was taken away.

"We're here!"

K.C glanced out the window. They'd parked in front of a five-story apartment complex that he _scarcely_ recalled passing by to and from school.

He stayed by Clare's side as the three walked into the building, where they joined a young guy in his early-to-mid twenties who'd been waiting in the lobby for them, who had opened the door to let them in. 'Kyle' or something, if he'd heard correctly.

'Kyle' led them up to the second floor and down a long hallway before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a door.

"Jenna?" He called as he opened it slowly.

_"… yeah?"_ Another voice answered after a few seconds.

"K.C's here. So is his mom, and Clare. Can they come in? Are you decent?"

K.C heard a forced laugh.

_"As decent as I'll be for a while, with all this baby fat."_

'Kyle' grinned lopsidedly and pushed the door open all the way, allowing everyone to enter the tiny apartment.

The girl K.C had seen in the picture Clare had shown him emerged from another room. Her hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. There were dark circles under her eyes — clear evidence that she hadn't slept well in a while — but once she saw them, she seemed to brighten up significantly.

He watched silently as she greeted his mother and Clare by hugging them tightly, before stepping in front of him and giving him a weak smile.

"I heard what happened today," she said. "You don't remember who I am?"

K.C shook his head. "No… sorry."

The girl — Jenna — sighed sadly.

"It's fine… not your fault, I guess." She mumbled, biting her lip uncertainly. "So… do you want to meet her?"

"Who?" He asked dumbly, even though he already knew the answer.

"Your daughter." Jenna replied, and then tore her gaze away. "I mean… _our_ daughter."

K.C swallowed the lump in his throat. He could feel his heart beginning to quicken with each beat, his nerves getting the best of him, and opened his mouth to say "no" — but no words came. His palms grew sweaty as his body disobeyed his thoughts and feelings, and followed Jenna into a bedroom. It was a typical girl's room, with a bed and a desk, and posters of celebrities lining the walls — but at the same time, it wasn't a typical girl's room at all. There was a crib in the corner, and stuffed toys and other baby-related items littering the floor.

Jenna walked over to the crib and leaned down. She made various cooing sounds before lifting a bundle of pink into her arms.

K.C expected screaming and crying, but the baby remained surprisingly quiet as Jenna cradled her.

"Guess who's here to see you, munchkin?" She said happily, grinning down at the infant as she made her way back to K.C. "K.C, this is Hailey. Hailey... this is your daddy."

"Can I… can I hold her?" He asked without thinking.

Jenna's brows shot up. She clearly hadn't expected him to ask that, but she didn't object and carefully, she handed Hailey over to him.

"Hold her head!" His mother whispered, and he nodded, doing just that.

The rest of the world seemed to disappear as he stared in awe at the baby in his arms. She was so small and light. He worried he would break her if he held on too tight — or drop her if he didn't hold on tight enough. He could make out tuffs of blonde hair, and wondered if it would always stay that way or if it would eventually changed. A smile tugged at his lips as he stroked her soft cheek with his thumb, only to have her curl her tiny hand around it.

Then her lashes fluttered, and K.C suddenly found himself gazing into large blue eyes that seemed to be looking right into his soul.

After a moment or two, she grinned toothlessly at him.

She knew who he was, and he her.

And like that, a year's worth of memories came flooding back to him.

He remembered.

He remembered _everything_.

X

**FIN**

X

**… and that's all she wrote.**

** Actually, I'm debating whether or not to add an epilogue. What do you guys think? It'd be short, but… if you want one, I **_**will**_** write it.**

** So… yeah. I feel kind of "meh" about this, but hopefully you guys enjoyed.**

necklace - I hope this turned out the way you wanted it to.

**Anyway… I think that's all I had to say.**

** Please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think!**


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